This invention relates to delabeling hollow articles and more particularly to a wet delabeling process providing improved completeness of label removal from such articles.
Known wet delabeling techniques involve sequentially advancing labeled articles such as containers in bottle form, through a rather lengthy hot liquid soaking bath at relatively low velocities to soften the bond between label and surface prior to forcible dislodgment by some external means such as by scraping, impingement of a liquid jet or the like. If the thus delabeled articles are intended to be reused without modification of form, washing and sanitizing usually next occur normally within the confines of the same equipment prior to discharge. Practicing these techniques economically at commercially feasible rates is rather demanding if relatively complete label removal from virtually all containers is to occur since residence time in the liquid necessary to sufficiently soften the label-container bond is usually quite substantial, thus dictating the need for equipment of substantial size. This is especialy so with plastic containers wherein the label-securing adhesive may be designed in use to yield to accommodate enlargement or growth of a container, (e.g. under the influence of pressure) in order to avoid fracturing the label. These adhesives are especially tenacious and have been difficult to affect in conventional soaking exposure to a hot liquid in systems of the type described, especially when the label is impervious such as when made of one or more layers of a metal foil material.